Comments by TheEvolOne

This type of reading should be mandatory in high school and even younger.

We all need to exercise our brains in a manner that helps us lay down the logic for good, ethical decisions - rather than making decisions on the fly without any practice.

We like to think it all reflects good character or logic, but we develop that over time with practice and fine-tuning.

I won't be the first to cast a stone and criticize; however I believe my own bad decisions would have been better served over time by some practice - and it can be fun and entertaining while used for developing the character we so magically expect to emerge from our youth.

I cannot help but join the anti-P crowd on this issue. It sounds like even with P passing, a lot of current practices would continue - with the questionable benefit of even more bureaucratic review and barriers.

I firmly believe that IF fracking were suddenly on the agenda, OR if there was a problem from current drilling practices that are not responsive to correction, we have time to always then re-create this proposition.

I do not support increasing the difficulty of businesses and related taxes being more complicated in the absence of a current, identified problem. And right now, I'm not persuaded.

This government so-called oversight and regulation is going to continue to hamstring our economy. Stop the endless creation of more and more business hostile regulation.

Backing way out on this issue, when are we going to become aware that population is the driver of this water consumption issue. Even if this current drought were a aberrant blip, the biggest issues we face are the result of continued population growth in a finite resourced world.

What about elimination tax deductions for more than two (one?) children? What about actively adopting policies that discourage and penalize large families - regardless of your personal resources, or not, they draw upon a finite natural resource pool.

Sure these local issues are relevant and reflect the insanity of water policy and district development over the years. When times are dry, the craziness of this all becomes even more apparent…..

Well, suppose attention paid to global warming is a good idea. But before one contemplates more taxes and penalties - most of which end up negatively and directly effecting the US economy and jobs - I would suggest caution. Plus, Carbajal wanting to give the native american tribes $$ for studying climate change…you gotta be kidding. The casino has enough money to influence local politicians - ahem, are we talking Carbajal? - and surely don't need financial help from the government. In fact, their existent moneys are enough to impact the local political scene heavily.

As stated by other posters, guns are not the problem here. Roger used a knife and BMW to inflict his damage, not just a gun. And it is not Laura's law that is needed.

What might make a difference would be if law enforcement and mental health crisis workers made policy to jointly respond to check the welfare calls wherein facts indicate a person ours disturbed. The other half of this equation is reviewing all available facts before responding. This would normally include viewing videos or written material, speaking with family and significant others, and should include law enforcement checking the firearms database they can access.

My experience would also indicate for contact by mental health staff with current therapists. There are issues of confidentiality but if the facts indicate risk of violence sharing info becomes OK. And often clinicians can communicate while respecting the privacy, at least until and when high risk is established.

There is no guarantee that bad things won't happen, but if we bring our skilled people together and they follow a thorough protocol, odds shift to better outcomes for the community and the potential perpetrator.

I have the utmost respect for the law enforcement personnel and have seen them in action many times. But we should not ask them to determine if a mental health professional is needed, the response should be joint and the process professional. It would make a huge difference.

Lastly, it's important the evaluation be at the home, enabling a much better evaluation.

If this is our Public Health department's efforts to protect the public, placing political correctness over doing their job - they deserve to be fired. This is a FAIL for public health. If I had a child in school who contracted TB, I would SUE the County for failure to inform and failure to act.

The job of public health is to inform and intervene. And yet at the same time the community was livid about an ICE facility going in, the government which is supposed to protect and inform us plays games with information - fearing some reaction. There is no excuse for this type of non-strategy. It certainly does not conform to typical measures for containing TB outbreaks.

Wow. We wonder what is wrong with government - better yet, what is wrong with Mexico that it does not identify and treat these illnesses - and that when it comes to the US, to California, we hide the information, hoping that doctors will find this on their own, school nurses and public health nurses will ferret out these diseases.

Maybe PH department should go out and test the field workers picking strawberries, who seem to be at greater risk for TB infections.

There should be an investigation and the health officer for such a decision should be fired. All SMHS kids and staff should be TB screened, and any positives should have chest x-rays. Let's get going folks.

As a local and more importantly a County resident, I totally oppose the fee-to-trust assignment of this property. There is no good reason to exempt the tribal organization from development review and taxation.

How many times do we hear of the need to raise taxes and this and that is unfair. Well, it is certainly unfair to permit or support the Chumash in removing their property from oversight and taxation.

I suggest that the voters of Santa Barbara County contact their representatives and advocate AGAINST supporting the fee-to-trust conversion.

I wonder if the idiot who started this fire will get away with just claiming "I can't pay for it." Something serious should happen for this level of stupidity and negligence. Whoever started it should have a lifetime ban from the forests. And I can think of a few more punishments that would be deserving....

It is great to hear a well-informed point of view of one who has carried firearms much of his life and likely still does.

I don't read that he is saying remove all guns. He is saying that assault rifles - read, high capacity, weapons designed for war and high volume fire - and other high capacity magazine fed weapons are not needed to sustain the Second Ammendment.

And if having a firearm - the Wayne LaPierre, good guy with a gun to take out a bad guy with a gun - might on some theoretical rare level be helpful, a wheel-gun or revolver would work just fine.

When you are not trying to kill or harm many, many others, one doesn't need 30-round magazines.

In the gun shop near my house, the only items being sold are the latest in military style .223 caliber assault rifles, with the AK-variants thrown in. We don't need these on our streets.

I find it humorous almost to hear those who propose that some day they might need to take on the government. And that's what they need an AK or M4 carbine knock off for (perhaps lacking select fire capability).

These folks that dream about taking up arms against their government, are thinking they could take on the US military, or local SWAT teams? What are they thinking?

Let's accept the fact that six or nine rounds is sufficient. Let's eliminate high capacity magazines - let folks turn them in and receive, free, smaller cap mags. And let's eliminate all arms that can accept high cap mags. Simple modifications could work.

Then these disturbed or sociopathic folks will at least have some limits on the carnage they can inflict. It just might make a difference.

You have to chuckle at John Stewart's take on Sheriff Arapio's stand that his "posse" of armed volunteers will protect the schools in his county in Arizona. John is like saying, we'll really feel comfortable to have guys who have nothing to do 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday (unemployed or unemployable) patrolling our schools, armed, and that will make us feel safer. And we expect these volunteers to have a uniform level of proficiency. It goes on.

I think this is a gun-crazy culture that we need to curb, put some limits on. I have no objections to some limits, and I'm not an anti-gun guy.

You have company in your stupidity. There are many who opine that bicycle and motorcycle helmets impair vision and one's ability to navigate - aside from the apparent negative esthetic factor that pedal bike helmets incur.

Fortunately, in the powered bike world (as in scooters and motorcycles), many of the young and invincible love to wear helmets adorned with the graphics of stellar international riders - Rossi, etc. - which they aspire to be like anyhow.

Perhaps you can keep working that "brain" graphic concept, among others - anything that encourages helmet use. I'm sure you are aware, you were lucky. You could have been temporarily or permanently gone. Just from a goofy ride. Yup.

Suggest you don't encourage, even in jest, folks to abandon helmet use. While it may seem like helmet laws discourage riding, riding without a helmet can end riding, life, and sentient functioning. And the cost? Way more to care for you in a persistent vegetative state than the economic benefit of selling 100 more bicycles.